Growing our own: 'knowledge workers' for tomorrow.

If the saying "Our Futures are Based Upon the Past" is true, we have a solid foundation on which to build our future work force. Those of us who have invested our professional careers in the woodworking industry are well aware of the rich heritage from which it has grown. Our industry is steeped in artisans and crafts-persons who, with highly-skilled hands, crafted the furniture, cabinets and other wood-based products that assisted in the growth of our country. Many of us have seen these individuals take chunks of wood and, with few sophisticated tools or machines, fashion products that were the pride of many homes and businesses. Much of their work still influences our designs and production concepts of today.

If you analyze the make-up of our early work force, it consisted primarily of hard-working men and women who learned their trade through a variety of methods. Many arrived in this nation from other countries having gained experience through indentured apprenticeship programs. They were exposed to woodworking through hundreds of hours of laborious manual arts exercises ranging from sweeping floors to forming tedious joinery. These skilled craftspersons brought with them not only influences of their previous cultures from such countries as Germany and Italy, but also the greatly needed skills that were in short supply in the United States. Those that did not serve an apprenticeship learned their craft on the factory floor at the elbows of others, watching and practicing the process over and over until they, too, had mastered their skill. As time progressed, public schools taught the basics of woodworking, providing a positive experience and helping to cultivate a desire to pursue woods as a life's vocation. At one time, nearly every community school had some form of manual arts, and more recently, industrial arts and technology education, to provide exposure to woodworking. Many of these curriculums were quite extensive, teaching the majority of skills found in European apprenticeship programs.

From these beginnings, our culture, our country and our industry have changed drastically. No longer does this nation have the large pool of skilled craftspersons from which companies can draw. There are few individuals who are willing to devote the long hours with low pay to have the opportunity to learn a labor-intensive job that has no outward appeal. Even more unfortunate is the almost complete extinction of our formal wood education programs in secondary schools. In the past, we could at least rely on students receiving a minimum exposure to the rudiments of woodworking. There are now less than 500 students enrolled in wood science and technology undergraduate programs in North America. Based upon the most recent figures from the U.S. Department of Commerce, that is not nearly enough engineers, technicians, programmers and other professionals to service our industry of over 764,000 employees.

The woods industry has evolved to the point where the majority of our companies need a new breed of employee. Yes, we still need the select few craftspersons who have the refined skill to produce unique products using traditional production methods. More importantly, however, is the need for large numbers of "knowledge workers" who can use high-technology materials and equipment to make the products demanded by the majority of consumers of today and tomorrow. These individuals need a different type of "skilled hands," which can master advanced equipment such as computerized rip saws, CNC machining centers and other common place technologies. They must also have the ability to comprehend and deal with the complex challenges which occur daily on the production floor.

For the past 10-plus years, woodworkers have grumbled and complained about the diminishing supply of young, talented "knowledge workers" entering the industry. This has grown from a subject that was occasionally discussed over coffee to the key-note sessions at conventions and trade association meetings. As an industry we have yet to recognize several significant facts if we are to solve this all-important manpower shortage.

To size up where our industry stands currently in the development and retention of "knowledge workers," there are a few trends that are having an impact. They include the following:

* The transition to a high-tech industry image. We need to divorce ourselves from the concept that we, as an industry, have something to be ashamed of. Each of us needs to take the positive approach that there are many woodworking plants fast approaching, or equal to, the level of technology used by other material areas such as metals. Woodworking plants of today do not need to be the dark and dusty environments with pre-World War II machinery. A point made by the Society of Wood Science and Technology is that wood accounts for about 25 percent of the value of major industrial materials. On a tonnage basis, the U.S. each year uses roughly as much wood by weight as all metals, all plastics and Portland cement combined. These facts indeed make us a significant industry.

* The face of our work force is changing. Our work force of today and tomorrow is composed of a different cultural and demographic base than in the past. By the year 2000, 85 percent of the U.S. work force will be female, African-American, Asian-American, Latino, or a new immigrant. The diversity of this pool of workers mandates that we make changes in our recruiting and training practices. According to U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley, we should also be concerned that only one in four students are efficient in simple math. Even more revealing is that nearly one-third of these eighth graders are unable to correctly total the cost of a hamburger, fries and a soft drink from a restaurant menu. This lack of basic knowledge may very well mean that our new employees will not only need assistance with technical skills, but with the three R's as well.

* The challenge of attracting workers to careers in wood. We can no longer afford to just pay lip service to this dilemma. Too many of us have assumed that someone else will address the problem and that there will be a solution forthcoming. The lack of "knowledge workers" threatens our very existence. There have been some valiant attempts in the past to provide an approach to develop our work force that have not been successful for a variety of reasons. This trend is changing with the start of a few significant programs developing through trade associations and other regional groups. A notable project is the CD-ROM produced by WoodLINKS and underwritten by the Wood Machinery Industry Assn. and other future-thinking organizations. This tool is designed to be presented to our youth by woodworkers, exposing them to the many positive careers in our industry. During the presentation, woodworking professionals provide recommendations on the type of education required and the career potential of these jobs. The CD-ROM is a tremendous marketing tool to place in the hands of high school students. Currently, no other industry is using this method to recruit young adults.

* Individual companies need to take ownership. Although we need to cultivate wood programs in secondary and trade schools, colleges and universities, these institutions will not be able to provide the large amount of "knowledge workers" we need today. Companies will need to grow their own. This necessitates that companies make a concerted effort to provide training for existing employees. The more progressive companies have started to view employee training as an investment which has equal importance to the purchase of equipment. Industry training centers are now providing a great deal of assistance for companies starting their own internal training as well as providing formal classes to programmers, operators, maintenance personnel and others desiring to expand their knowledge on panel-processing equipment.

So what can we expect in the next millennium? Certainly the need for "knowledge workers" will only increase and by all accounts will be at least 10 times that of today. It is predicted that many companies will be forced out of business if they do not take a proactive approach to developing their own work force. Those manufacturers that do cultivate and develop workers and supervisors will be able to compete in the ever-increasing global market. These companies will take advantage of several avenues of personnel development including working with their local schools and inviting them to participate in school-to-work programs, job-shadowing, career nights, apprenticeship programs and other creative ways of stimulating interest in future employees. Once viable employees are identified, companies will need to provide the training necessary to keep those individuals and to continue to elevate their skills to best keep their companies competitive.

It has been said that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. As an industry, we do have a great deal to boast about. However, to continue our growth we must no longer rely on others to develop and provide our supervisory and production personnel. Each company must find ways of developing their own work force. By addressing this weak link, the woodworking industry will move into the next millennium as a strong, vibrant industry, just as powerful as we were at the beginning of this century.

Editors note: L. Duane Griffiths is the Manager of Educational Services for Stiles Education Center.